Mercedes reveals its hybrid future, including 10 new plug-in models by 2017,
and the possibility of an AMG rival to the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder

Mercedes will launch 10 petrol-electric plug-in hybrid models by 2017, with the aim of creating a line-up of low-emissions cars distinct from its core product range, in much the same way it has achieved with AMG and high performance models. In addition, it has hinted that it could build a hybrid hypercar to rival the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder,

The strategy is in response to increasingly stringent emissions targets, particularly in the EU. Mercedes alone has cut its fleet average CO2 figure from 230g/km in 1995 to the current 134g/km. By 2016, it says, this will be 125g/km, and by 2020 just 99g/km.

It will do this primarily by using its plug-in Modular Hybrid Technology, which packages the electric motor in the car's gearbox, the batteries in the boot and a petrol engine (rather than diesel, due to demand in China and the US) under the bonnet. This formula can be applied to any of its rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive models, so expect plug-in hybrid versions of the GL-class SUV, E-class saloon and estate and CLS among others.

Plug-in models will include the C-class and E-class saloons, as well as 4x4 models

The first model to use the plug-in hybrid technology is the S500 luxury car, which is on sale now and pairs the electric running gear with a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged petrol engine. This setup results in an electric-only range of 21 miles, helping the S500 Plug-in Hybrid achieve CO2 emissions of just 65g/km in EU tests, as well as 101mpg on the Combined cycle. Its battery takes two hours to charge using a dedicated Mercedes wall box or four hours from a domestic plug socket.

The S500 will be followed early next year by a C-class Plug-in Hybrid that marries the electric motor and batteries with a smaller four-cylinder petrol engine, and is likely to produce CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km.

At present, charging the battery in a plug-in hybrid Mercedes takes between two and four hours

Mercedes also hinted that AMG could use the plug-in hybrid technology with a V8 engine to create a rival for the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder. "If you look at the supercars that are coming out now, most of them are already hybrid, so I wouldn't exclude that from the calculation," said Johannes Reifenrath, Head of Mercedes Product Strategy and Planning.

WIRELESS FUTURE

It’s not just the cars themselves that Mercedes is developing, but how people will charge them; in addition to being committed to building fuel-cell infrastructure, the German company is working with rival manufacturers, including BMW, to develop a universal wireless charging pad for battery-electric models.

"It's a very simple device. Just park the car - or let it park automatically in the future - and it will start charging, explained Reifenrath. "I can imagine in a couple of years you will find these charging stations at cinemas, at supermarkets, at train stations," he added.

The wireless charging technology will first be used on the flagship S500 Plug-in Hybrid, before being rolled out to other vehicles.

Diesel plug-in hybrid models, as well as those using Mercedes’s new nine-speed automatic gearhox are also on the cards as Mercedes works towards the long-term goal of an all-electric range that produces zero local emissions using battery or fuel-cell technology.